


When the Hurlyburly's Done; When the Battle's Lost and Won

by TheSofterGentlerMe



Series: The Long Shadow of Our Pasts [6]
Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Post-Season/Series 05 Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-07
Updated: 2021-01-07
Packaged: 2021-03-18 03:47:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,127
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28611585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheSofterGentlerMe/pseuds/TheSofterGentlerMe
Summary: When you get shaken, how do you recover? How do you just carry on? The group is about to find out their answers for this.
Relationships: Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow/Glimmer (She-Ra), Glimbow - Relationship, catradora - Relationship
Series: The Long Shadow of Our Pasts [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2088336
Comments: 13
Kudos: 38





	When the Hurlyburly's Done; When the Battle's Lost and Won

**Author's Note:**

> Shall we?

They stayed that night deep under the castle of Bright Moon in a small room in the archives. It was the most secure place in the entire castle and arguably one of the most secure places on all of Etheria. Even so, Adora sat on the ground next to a cot they’d set up and felt nothing but fear, twitching at every little noise. Catra lay on the cot with Finn curled up in front of her sound asleep as they clutched their stuffed whale. She had one hand resting on Adora’s shoulder as they both watched the door in silence. Glimmer sat on the ground near a cot where Bow slept and did the same. The whole room was bathed in light from the softly glowing walls and ceiling so that there was not a single shadowy corner anywhere in the room.

Earlier, seconds after Adora had realized that Shadow Weaver had escaped, Bright Moon guards had come pouring into the room and Glimmer quickly gave orders while she scrambled over to Bow, who had started to stir and then suddenly curled up and let out a sob as he grabbed at his sides. Catra had been sitting up shaking her head as she scooped up Finn who had started crying. Adora knelt down, still as She-Ra, to pull them both in tight and huddled over them. 

The following few hours were utter chaos. The Bright Moon guards were efficient but reports came in from every part of the castle as people saw shadows come alive, saw unknown people and creatures everywhere, and all other manner of odd and frightening occurrences. The guards were soon on the verge of being overwhelmed as they tried to run down all the reports. While that happened, medics had looked over Bow, taped up his ribs, and declared him otherwise alright.

“I got off easy, slept through the whole thing. You’ll just have to be careful hugging me for a little while, Starlight,” Bow had said wearily as he kissed her gently on the forehead. They were all sitting in the command room at that point surrounded by guards and trusted advisors. Finn sat on Adora’s leg, clutching at their stuffed whale that had somehow survived the chaos, and Catra had leaned into Adora on the other side watching everything unfold and trying to forget old memories of commanding in the Horde as she watched the flow of the room. 

General Elity, the head of the Bright Moon guards that had replaced General Juliet after she’d retired from the position, came into the room, spoke quietly with Glimmer for a few moments, and soon after the group had left the command room to be whisked under Bright Moon and into the archives. Regular reports came to the room through the layers of protection that had been set up but they all essentially said the same thing. Nothing was found of Shadow Weaver. She’d disappeared. 

“I asked Aunt Casta to come to Bright Moon as soon as she can,” Glimmer finally said, breaking the silence. 

Adora and Catra both looked at her as Finn made a little mumbling noise and snuggled in closer to Catra before settling down again. 

“What for?” Adora said. 

“Help,” Glimmer said flatly. “She’s the head of Mystacor. I mean, I know magic like I said earlier and Adora, you are magic, but it’s pretty obvious from what went down that we may be outclassed. Casta is the head of Mystacor. She not only knows plenty of magic but she has access to those who know at least as much. Probably more. It might even make sense for us to move to Mystacor for more protection while we see this through.” 

“Except she’s gotten in there before as well,” Catra said quietly. “Remember?”

Glimmer’s shoulders sagged a little as she said, “I know but this time they’ll have warning. That’d help. Right?” 

The room went silent again for a minute before Catra said, not very convincingly, “Yeah, you’re probably right.” 

She didn’t sound very confident though and Adora put her head down on her knees as she said, “You know, this is my fault. If I’d just stayed calm when I saw her that first time instead of overreacting I wouldn’t have put my family in danger.”

Catra gripped Adora’s shoulder a little tighter and said, “Get her out of your head. Now. It’s not your fault. You did what I would have. She could have just gone back to gardening but instead decided on this. And at least I got one good hit in on her.” 

“I’m just glad you didn’t have to see Finn almost get electrocuted,” Adora said, shivering. 

“I can’t believe she missed from a foot away,” Glimmer said. “She was running multiple spells in that room at once and somehow screwed that one up.”

“Maybe overextended? Maybe that’s her weakness?” Adora said hopefully.

Glimmer was slowly shaking her head and said, “If I hadn’t seen her throw up a shield immediately afterwards, call up a couple more of those things, and then somehow slip out, all in a matter of seconds, I’d say you’re right. But, I did see her do all of that and trigger what must have been pre-laid spells for all the chaos to cover her exit.”

“Then what happened?” Catra said. “I feel like there’s something here we’re missing.” 

Adora turned to look at Finn and gently placed a hand on their back to avoid waking them. 

“Do you think Finn does have some magic potential? Glimmer, can stress trigger some, I don’t know, mystical talent?” Adora said, as she wiggled the fingers on her other hand in the air. 

Glimmer gave a little snort and said, “No. As far as I know, anyone can learn magic if they put in the time. It’s not some special inborn talent.”

There was a long pause before Adora said, “Well, something happened.”

Catra gave a feral smile as she said, “Yeah, Finn made sure she’ll think twice before she tries again.” 

Adora looked at her and was about to say something when Catra looked down at Finn and said, “Isn’t that right, kiddo?” 

Finn sleepily shrugged. 

“Did we wake you up, sweetheart?” Adora said. 

Finn said, “Am I really magic, Mom?” 

“You’re magic to us,” Catra said as she touched her forehead to Finn’s forehead. 

“No, you know that’s not what I meant. Am I magic like Aunt Glimmer?” Finn said. 

Glimmer slid over the few feet between the cots and said, “That’s not how magic works, honey.”

Finn turned around to face her. Glimmer noticed the tired look on their face as they said, “I want to be magic though. So I can help protect my moms.” 

Catra’s hand gripped Adora’s shoulder even tighter and Adora had to look away for a moment and take a deep breath before looking back. 

“Kiddo, it’s our job to protect you. I’m sorry we haven’t done it as well as we should these past few days,” Catra said, her voice tight. 

Finn said, “It’s ok. I know you did your best. She was really scary.” 

“She really was, wasn’t she?” they heard Bow say from the other cot.

“We’re just waking everyone up now,” Catra said ruefully.

“I’ve been up for a few minutes. Been trying to go back to sleep but couldn’t,” Bow said as he sat up with a groan. “I think my last med ran out.” 

He went to reach down under the cot where the small wooden bottle with the medicine he’d been given sat and suddenly winced and barely managed to stifle a scream. 

“Bow! Stop that! I can get it for you,” Glimmer said as she got the bottle out and picked up a pottery bottle full of water and handed them both to him. 

“You know, it’s not so bad but then I move without thinking it through and oooofff,” Bow said as he shook out a pill from the bottle and drank it down. 

“You should let Adora heal you. Like we talked about earlier,” Glimmer said.

Bow shook his head now and said, “Nope, it’s alright. They’re just bruised. I should be moving around fine in a few days.” 

Adora looked at Bow and said, “Bow, I didn’t say anything earlier because it’s your choice but please, let me do this for you. We’re stuck down here in this room and I feel really helpless. Let me do something useful.” 

Bow looked at Adora and thought about how freaked out the healing had always made him ever since she’d first started trying to learn it when they had just been getting to be friends. The look on her face though, that made him sigh, then wince from the deep breath from the sigh, and then slowly nod his head as he said, “Ok, ok. Just… uh, let me close my eyes first alright?” 

Adora quickly nodded and transformed and it wasn’t a minute later that Bow stretched and turned to Glimmer with his arms open for her to hug him. Glimmer carefully put her arms around him and gently hugged him and then, when it was obvious it didn’t hurt him, squeezed him tight.

“That was worth the nervous moment for this,” Bow said as he lay back down with Glimmer spooned up in front of him. 

Adora, back to her regular size, said, “Thank you, Bow. That made this day a little less horrible.” 

“Let’s all try and get some sleep, alright?” Catra said. “That means you too, kiddo.” 

Finn looked around the room for a moment and Adora could almost hear their thoughts. She leaned in and cupped their face in her hand. 

“Finn, we’re in one of the safest places on all of Etheria. It’s withstood multiple attacks over centuries and has never been breached, even by Horde Prime’s armies. Standing outside the door are the elite guards of Bright Moon. Above us in the castle are more of the same. Glimmer has warded the walls in here so even if someone tried to get in after getting through all of that, we’d have warning and be able to put up a fight. On top of all of that there’s one more thing on our side. Something that’ll be terrifying if anyone tries to enter the archives without permission,” Adora said. 

Finn’s eyes were wide as they said, “What’s that Mom?” 

“Ledgeren,” Adora said, lowering her voice a little as she leaned in towards Finn and said the name as if it were a dire secret. 

The other three gave a tired grin when they heard the name but Finn leaned in towards Adora, fascinated, as they said, “What’s Ledgeren?”

“Not what, who. She’s the head archivist. She lives on coffee and spite at those who would cause disorder in her domain. She will rain down wrath like none have ever seen if someone were to try and gain entry to her archives without her leave,” Adora said solemnly. 

Finn sat for a moment and then gave a smile as they said, “Stop it, Mom.” 

“It’s all true,” Bow said. 

“Bow’s right. I’ve met her,” Catra replied.

“She refuses me on a regular basis and I don’t even  _ try _ to argue with her,” Glimmer said, not bothering to mention that the archive and its head weren’t beholden to the individual monarch of Bright Moon in many things.

Finn was quiet and Catra could feel them relax a little. 

“OK,” Finn said and curled up a little as they held out their stuffed whale to Adora. “Do you want to sleep with Mx. Whale, Mom? They said they wouldn’t mind watching over you while you sleep.”

Adora nodded solemnly as she took the whale from Finn and said, “Are you sure you don’t need them?” 

Finn yawned as they closed their eyes and said, “They’ll be here in the room. They said they’ll be part of the protection for us.” 

Adora kissed Finn on their forehead and said, “They’re very brave, just like you and I’m proud of both of you. I love you.” 

“I love you too,” Finn said. “You too, Mother. And Uncle Bow and Aunt Glimmer.” 

They all said it back to Finn and soon Finn was sleeping peacefully. Adora, too tired to put up another cot, bundled up a few shirts around her boots for a pillow and lay down on the ground, and even though she felt a bit silly, held the whale as she closed her eyes. She knew that it was far from over and that tomorrow would bring problems and possibly even fresh terror but for tonight she realized that her family and her friends were safe beside her and so she slept.

**Author's Note:**

> This was going to be a bit different originally but I found that I needed to make this installment a bit softer than the others. Thank you for reading!


End file.
